Pole Testifies His Superior Ordered Evidence Erased

January 19, 1985|United Press International.

TORUN, POLAND — A secret police major Friday testified his superior ordered the destruction of evidence implicating him in the murder of a pro-Solidarity priest. Infuriated by the testimony, the accused officer rose in court and screamed he was being smeared.

The outburst came in the trial of four secret police officers accused in the kidnapping and killing Oct. 19 of the Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko, an ardent supporter of the banned Solidarity trade union movement.

Police Maj. Janusz Drozdz testified that Col. Adam Pietruszka ordered the destruction of evidence that incriminated him in the murder of the priest and ``lied`` about his involvement in the crime.

Drozdz told the court that after the priest was killed, a deputy interior minister ordered employees to submit written statements of their whereabouts on the day of the crime to the police commander, Gen. Zenon Platek.

But, he said, Pietruszka ordered that key passages incriminating him be erased.

``Pietruszka looked through the statements before they were submitted. He said some were too long and underlined certain sections in them which he said had to be removed,`` Drozdz said.

Pietruszka, visibly white with anger at the testimony, rose to his feet in the courtroom and shouted: ``This man is a sensationalist. He is conducting a smear campaign against me!``

The judge asked if he had evidence of such a campaign and he replied, ``No. I have no material evidence to prove it.``

Pietruszka is charged with instigating the murder of Popieluszko, whose body was found in a reservoir of the Vistula River 10 days after he was snatched from a car outside this northern city.

Capt. Grzegorz Piotrowski and Lts. Waldemar Chmielewski and Leszek Pekala are accused of kidnapping, beating and killing Popieluszko. All four face possible death sentences.

During earlier testimony, Pietruszka maintained Piotrowski carried out the crime on his own initiative. Pietruszka said he wanted to curb the activities of the priest but stressed he never gave orders to use force.

Drozdz testified Pietruszka told his secretary, Barbara Story, to omit a key passage from her report to the general. Drozdz said the omitted passage read:

``On October 19, when Grzegorz Piotrowski was leaving the office he told me to tell anyone who was looking for him that Pietruszka would know where I am.``

Zbigniew Stromecki also testified Pietruszka had ordered him to delete a similar reference.